From left: 2015 PA Recognition Award recipients Courtney Moller, Shauna Curran and Genina Salvio

The number of physician assistants (PA) practicing in the U.S. is rapidly expanding. As nationally certified and state-licensed medical professionals who practice under the direction of an attending physician, PAs play a vital role in the health care field and on care teams here at BWH, from examining patients and diagnosing conditions to prescribing medications and scrubbing in for surgery.

There are more than 200 PAs on staff at BWH, contributing to more than 20 areas, including Emergency Medicine, Primary Care, Interventional Cardiology and Medicine. BWH is the largest employer of PAs in the Northeast and fifth-largest employer of PAs in the country.

“We so deeply value the work and care provided by our PAs,” said Jessica Logsdon, PA-C, MHA, assistant director of BWH PA Services. “PAs are involved in nearly every facet of the care BWH delivers, not only as providers but as leaders in the development and implementation of new patient care processes on many services.”

Stanley Ashley, MD, BWH chief medical officer, said PAs play a critical role in BWH’s care models in both inpatient and ambulatory settings.

“Our PAs are not simply filling a gap; they bring something unique in terms of continuity, participation and leadership in hospital initiatives and patient- and family-centered care,” Ashley said. “We are privileged to have so many PAs at BWHC.”

When Leanne Wines, PA-C, chief PA of the BWH Hospitalist Service, first joined BWH in 2009, there were four full-time PAs working on the service; now there are 13. Wines says it is an exciting time to be a PA here.

“I love being able to collaborate with attendings and other colleagues,” Wines said. “I feel like I have enough autonomy to get the personal satisfaction that I’m making a difference, but I also appreciate that someone is always available if I have questions or need advice.”

PAs from BWH, BWFH and the Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center (DF/BWCC) were recognized at an annual dinner earlier this month. Genina Salvio, PA-C, of BWH Cardiac Surgery, Shauna Curran, PA-C, of DF/BWCC, and Courtney Moller, PA-C, of DF/BWCC, were honored with 2015 PA Recognition Awards for their contributions to medicine.

To read more about PAs at BWH, visit bwhclinicalandresearchnews.org.